The Lying Game is Over
by bluejay96343
Summary: When Emma is assaulted and Thayer finds her bloody and bruised, she leans on him for support. Her twin sister Sutton is a self absorbed brat who assumes Emma is simply still pissed about Ethan, and Ethan is just completely oblivious. As Emma and Thayer get closer, everything else begins to melt away. **I lied, back on Hiatus. Sorry!**
1. Chapter 1:Blood and Broken Things

**Alright, here's my second FanFiction! Yay! Anyway, if you've been to my profile you'll see that I said none of my stories are without one of these three things; rape, violence or pregnancy. You've been warned. Don't forget to review or give me any suggestions! I don't own The Lying Game or the storylines and characters. Sometimes I wish I did. ENJOY! (:  
**

"Emma?" Thayer yelled. He let himself in through Sutton's bedroom window, hoping to catch her before she went to bed.

The lights were all out and no cars were in the driveway, he assumed Mr. and Mrs. Mercer were out late tonight. He tried calling for Emma again, "Hey Em, it's Thayer."

Still, no one answered. He made his way to the light switch on the other side of Sutton's room and flipped it. What he saw rocked him to his core.

"Emma!" Thayer yelled as he dove down next to her. Emma's hair was matted, her left eye was black, her lips were swollen and cracked.

She had a hand print tattooed on her cheek, and there were deep purple bruises on her neck and wrists. But that wasn't the worst part.

What made Thayer cringe and ball up his fists was the rest of her. She was completely naked, and it seemed as though every part of her body was covered in purple or green.

Every part except for what was covered in blood. Slick blood covered Emma's thighs and Thayer could see deep gashes to accompany the blood.

Thayer was going to whip out his phone and dial 911, but he stopped and thought of what Emma would want. Would she want to be taken to the hospital? Does it matter?

Luckily for Thayer he didn't have to weigh his options much longer because he heard the clacking of high heels on the floor. He ran down the hallway into the foyer to find Mr. and Mrs. Mercer staring at him.

"Mr. Mercer! Emma needs help, but I don't think she'd want to go to a hospital. You have to help her! Please! She's hurt, you have to help Emma." Thayer rambled quickly.

"Woah, woah. Who's Emma?" Ted Mercer asked, his eyebrow quirked. Ugh. Thayer felt stupid. Of course they wouldn't know. Well cats out of the bag now.

"Emma is Sutton's identical twin sister. She was put into the foster system at birth and came to pretend to be Sutton when Sutton went to find their biological mother. She has been living here for months."

Thayer was starting to get antsy, he didn't like leaving Emma alone right now. Even if she was unconscious.

Ted and Kristin's mouths dropped open. Thayer's patience was wearing thin, "Come on! Emma doesn't have time for this! Grab your doctor bag or whatever and come help her!" he yelled.

"Alright, alright. Take me too her. Kristin get my bag please?" Ted followed Thayer to Sutton's room and stopped before stepping over the threshold.

"It's Emma not Sutton. I promise." Thayer said, feeling sick. They should love Emma as much as they love Sutton, if not more. She had been the one living with them for months.

And Emma wasn't the spoiled brat that Sutton was. She was sweet, lively and always grateful. He had watched as the Mercer's fell in love with her even quicker than they did Sutton.

Emma groaned on the floor, Thayer ran to her like he did just minutes before. "Emma? Emma!" he shouted.

Thayer was appalled when Emma flinched away from him. "Emma, it's me Thayer." he said timidly. Why would she flinch away from him?

Hearing his name, Emma slowly opened her eyes; "Thayer?" she croaked. Thayer sighed in relief, "Yeah, it's me. I got you some help, you're gonna be okay. I promise."

"Thayer, I'm getting blood all over the floor." Emma rasped. She jumped when she heard Kristin speak "Don't you worry about that. We needed to replace the carpet anyway." Kristin said reassuringly.

Emma looked over to Thayer, wincing at the pain the movement caused her.

"I had to tell them." was all Thayer said.


	2. Chapter 2:Confusion and Criminal Records

**Here you go! Chapter 2! I'm not sure when I will be able to update this, maybe if I get reviews nagging me to put up another chapter I will. Hope you like this story, I tried that's all I can say. Again, I don't own The Lying Game, it's characters or it's storylines. Review! and as always ENJOY!  
**

Emma broke down then, "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! So sorry!" she sobbed. Emma was gasping for breath and holding her sides.

Thayer reached down and pushed her matted hair off her forehead, trying to comfort her. Ted finally knelt down next to her.

"Emma, look at me." Ted said, gently cupping her chin and turning her head towards him. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You are a joy to have around Emma."

Emma sighed, her eyes started drooping until they involuntarily closed. Thayer looked up at Ted in fear, Ted looked back at him "This isn't good. She could have head trauma."

"She needs to be taken to a hospital! Why are we still here?" Kristin asked passionately. She felt guilty for loving this Emma more than she had loved her own Sutton. But Emma made it so easy.

"Look, if someone were to accidentally find out who she were she would be arrested. She has a warrant out for her arrest in Las Vegas." Thayer explained irritably.

"Why does she have a warrant out for her arrest?" Kristin sputtered out. She couldn't believe Emma would have done anything wrong.

"I don't know if she wants you guys to know so act like you don't okay?" Thayer asked. When both Ted and Kristin nodded in compliance, he continued.

"Travis – her foster brother framed her for stealing from her foster mom. Sherice was going to call CPS to get her taken and put back into a foster home." Thayer watched as the Mercer's faces turned stormy.

"When Emma went to her room to pack, Travis came in. He grabbed her and started to undress her. When she realized what Travis was trying to do, she grabbed her tennis racket and smacked him in the face with it."

Both of the Mercers grinned a little at the thought of Emma hitting her scum bag of a foster brother. They sobered though when they thought about how much she's been through.

"They pressed charges, so Emma has an assault hanging over her head." Thayer finished. He was getting anxious, Emma needed help and they were all sitting around a campfire telling stories.

Thayer looked down at Emma when he heard her stir. "Thayer, I don't feel good." Emma said, dazedly. "I think I'm going to be sick!" she gasped.

He hurriedly sat next to her and carefully tilted her so that she wouldn't choke, and she started to vomit. He looked up at the Mercer's in horror when he realized Emma wasn't just vomiting.

She was vomiting blood. Ted leapt into action. "That's it, I'm taking her in. She's got internal damage and she's going to need x-rays and probably even surgery. Go get the car Kristin."

Thayer ran a bloody hand through his hair and exhaled deeply as he followed Ted out to the car where he held Emma's head in his lap and Ted sped to the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3:Bitches and Bad News

**I posted this just for those of you who have followed/reviewed even though I said it was on hiatus (: You guys are amazing. Here ya' go. I may take it off of hiatus status since I finished my Jane By Design story but I still can't guarantee when I'll update next! But as always ENJOY!**

Thayer paced nervously in the hall outside of Emma's hospital room in the ICU wing. According to the attending she had a fractured skull, seven broken ribs and lots of internal tissue tears. They had also decided to order a rape kit.

Bile rose in Thayer's throat as he thought of someone touching – No. Forcing themselves – on Emma. He knew well enough Emma wasn't weak and helpless but he couldn't help but think that if he had been there sooner he could have prevented all of this.

Thayer was staring at the closed blinds in Emma's window when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Turning his head he saw Ted eying him warmly. "Why don't you go get some coffee? Kristin and I will take over and we'll let you know if anything changes." Ted offered. Thayer shook his head stubbornly. "No, I want to be here when the doctor comes out." He said, as he resumed pacing. "Thayer. THAYER look at me." Ted called sternly. Thayer stiffened but turned to face Mr. Mercer. "The doctor won't tell you anything. You have to be next of kin. He may not even tell US anything. I'm sorry." Ted apologized.

"This is bullshit!" Thayer yelled, as he roughly backed up against the wall opposite of Emma's room. "She doesn't deserve this! She doesn't deserve any of this!" He couldn't hold in his tears anymore. He cried out of fear, frustration and love. Thayer slid down the wall and collapsed into a helpless heap, angry at himself for what he hadn't done. "Please just let her live long enough for me to tell her that I love her." He whispered to himself, keeping his voice quiet so that the Mercers' didn't hear him.

"I wonder where Sutton is." Kristin said, as she tried to keep herself from staring at Thayer. "You think she should be here?" She asked her husband.

"Sutton's with Ethan. And no. She shouldn't be here, it's too dangerous for the both of them." A voice answered. Ted and Kristin turned around and even Thayer lifted his head up.

Dan Whitehorse came into view dressed in his full 'boys in blue' getup and he had a badge on his hip to match. "How's Emma doing?" Dan asked, directing his question to Mr. and Mrs. Mercer. He didn't know whether or not he should trust Thayer's mental state at the moment, plus Ted was a doctor. He would get the truth from him.

"She's in critical condition. They're prepping the O.R. right now. We should know more in a couple hours." Ted answered, but then he thought of something. "Wait. You knew about the whole Emma/Sutton situation and you didn't tell us? Don't you think we had a right to know?" He spouted off.

"No. I don't think you had a right to know." Dan answered truthfully as he hauled Thayer to his feet. "You don't know the whole story. The night of the big birthday bash, someone tried to kill Sutton. They ended up sending Emma a threatening note saying if they didn't keep up the illusion that Emma was Sutton, Emma would die next. Sutton wasn't dead of course but Emma's life was still on the line. She was trying to keep you both safe." He explained heatedly. "Don't take this out on me. YOU should have realized the girl sleeping in your house every night wasn't really your daughter. Emma and Sutton are nothing alike."

Ted opened his mouth to argue but his wife cut him off. "You're right. We should have known. Emma is everything Sutton's not and Sutton is our daughter." Kristin said sadly, wiping a hand over her face tiredly.

Ignoring Kristin, Dan turned to Thayer. "You need to get it together Thayer. When Emma recovers she going to need you." He said. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper for Thayer's ears alone. "We got a call in to the station from the hospital. They reported a positive rape kit in a minor. It was Emma." Dan said morosely, the corners of his mouth turned down in a worried frown.

Thayer nodded and wiped at his eyes. He knew he had to be strong for Emma. He had almost composed himself completely when he heard a disgustingly bitchy voice whining at someone else.

"There was blood all over my floor. It was disgusting! She'd better be dead or else she's going to have to answer to me." Sutton Mercer complained to her boyfriend Ethan Whitehorse as they rounded the corner.

"Sutton Mercer watch your mouth!" Ted Mercer boomed, startling Sutton. "D-dad! What are you doing here?" She asked a little to sweetly. Thayer narrowed his eyes in their direction.

"A better question would be what are you doing here?" Thayer asked sharply. "You don't care about anyone but yourself, so why would you be here for Emma?"

"Emma? I'm not here for Emma. I'm here for Char, her mom's in here. Wait. Why is Emma here? What happened?" Sutton asked, though she sounded more curious than she sounded worried or concerned.

"Like you give a shit. Just leave Sutton. And if you even THINK about blaming Emma for the blood on your floor you're going to have to answer to me. Ethan can't protect you from me." Thayer said menacingly, although the effect didn't stick because he still had tear tracks on his cheeks.

"You can't do anything. You just openly threatened me infront of a police officer and my parents. That would be stupid and not even your ass kissing daddy could get you out of that mess." Sutton said, just as nasty.

"I don't know what you're talking about Sutton, I didn't hear anything." Dan said stubbornly. "What the hell Dan? This is my girlfriend for God's sake. Don't be an dick." Ethan finally stepped and defended his girlfriend to his brother. "She may be your girlfriend but she's treated you like crap. She made you hide the fact you two were dating! You'll realize you're better off without her eventually." Dan retorted angrily.

Ethan was about to respond but was interrupted when the door to Emma's room suddenly swung open and they all saw Emma's bloodied, broken form being rolled out on a gurney.

"She's gonna have a hell of a time cleaning up my floor." Sutton muttered. Imagine her surprise when her own mother stepped up and slapped her so hard she tasted blood.


	4. Chapter 4:Singing Sisters and Suffering

**Alright, so this story is still on the backburner at the moment - but I figured I'd update since you guys are so great. Seriously, thank you for the amazing reviews and the many story alerts. For those of you who felt some people were missing in the previous three chapters, I've incorporated some Mads and Laurel will definitely be in the next chapter. Thanks again you guys, you are amazing. Keep reading and reviewing! **

"Thay, I know you're worried, but you need to eat something. You'll be no good to Emma if you're stuck in a hospital bed when she wakes up." Mads sighed softly, watching her brother push his uneaten food around his plate. "You know she's going to need you."

Thayer shot a withering glance at his sister before he settled back in his chair and resorted to breaking the tongs off of his plastic fork. He knew it was childish, but he couldn't help the small grin that escaped when Mads snorted in annoyance.

"She's my friend too you know."

"I know Mads." Thayer couldn't stop the groan from slipping out from between his parted lips.

"She would want us to go home and get some rest," Mads tried yet again to get Thayer to leave the hospital. It'd been three days since Emma had been brought in – doctors say she's healing slowly and she'll wake up when she's ready, her brother refused to leave Emma's side.

"S'not going to happen, I need to be here when she wakes up." Thayer replied absently, seemingly hell bent on destroying his cheap eating utensil.

Mads rolled her eyes, "I don't see why you think you need to be here when she comes out of her coma – she knows you care about her, that's all that matters."

"You don't understand." Thayer mumbled, eyebrows knitting together as he glared at the fork, willing the damn tongs to just snap already. He felt his anger bubbling dangerously close to the surface.

"You're right, I don't understand! Maybe if you just opened up I could help!" Mads whispered furiously, her eyes shifting left and right to make sure no one within earshot was listening in on their conversation. The relatives of sick loved ones seemed to have a knack for eavesdropping and gossip.

"Let it go Mads." The older Ryback replied, closing his eyes to hide the pain he was sure was swirling in their depths. He could feel his breathing hitch and he scratched absently at his chest in an attempt to alleviate the burning caused by his own guilt. It was as if his heart were missing, and in its place sat a gaping hole, edges raw and inflamed.

"Why can't you just te—"

"_It's __**my**__ fault_!" Thayer yelled, still not opening his eyes but his hands clutched the edge of their table in a white-knuckled grip. He can feel himself losing composure, self control rocketing out the window at lightning speed.

"Thay—"

"I should've never left her alone! It's my fault she was attacked! It's my fault she was r—" He choked on the last word, a small strangled sound emanating from the back of his throat as he fought to swallow the bile that threatened to come up.

_Emma was raped._

_It's my fault._

"You couldn't have known someone was going to break in and attack her Thayer! Don't blame yourself. I know Emma wouldn't blame you!" Mads argued worriedly. She looked around and saw that everyone in the hospital cafeteria was staring. Blushing, she turned back to her brother.

_My fault. _

_Emma's hurt._

_I didn't protect her._

"But I did know. I saw the overturned chair. I thought it was nothing – maybe one of them had knocked it over on their way out earlier. I should've known!" Thayer resumed shouting, his inner turmoil tearing him to pieces. His chest heaved with the effort of gasping in a breath between sobs he didn't know had started. Only now did he feel the tears that ran down his cheeks and dripped onto his collarbone.

"Oh Thay." Mads whispered, standing and pulling her brother into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his rail thin frame, tightening her grip when she felt him trembling and leaning into her comfort.

"I just want her to be okay." Thayer cried, burying his head into the crook of his sister's neck just as she used to do when they were younger. He inhaled the familiar scent of home and tried to calm his racing heart.

Mads kept her arm slung around Thayer's waist and led him out of the cafeteria slowly, ignoring all of the questioning looks and pity filled smiles. "Let's get out of here. People are too nosy for their own good."

"No! I'm not leaving!"

"Relax, I just meant let's get out of the cafeteria." Mads soothed, pulling him into the empty waiting area nearest Emma's room. Sitting down on the worn out couch, she smoothed down his dark tousled hair.

Thayer rested his head against Mads' shoulder and let his eyes drift closed, hoping that the nightmares would stay away so he could finally get some sleep. He smiled and felt his consciousness slipping as his sister hummed 'Greensleeves.'

Mads laid her cheek on the top of Thayer's head and closed her eyes, continuing to hum until they both fell asleep, awaiting the moment that Emma woke up.

Thayer made one last promise before the darkness took him under,

_I'll be strong for her. I have to be._

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**I know Thayer seems a bit weepy but the poor guy blames himself for what happened to Emma. He's just a hot mess right now, it'll get better. ALSO - I'd love you forever if you could tell me what's happened since it came back on! I haven't been able to watch! It sucks, but I'd appreciate it if you could catch me up!  
**

**And finally, any prompts or ideas for the future plot line of this story I would love to hear. I do request that you PM me with your ideas though so if I do decide to use them, no spoilers are revealed.  
**

**Hope you enjoyed!  
**


	5. Chapter 5:Bedspread and BAMF Laurel

_Alright, so first off I wrote this and didn't re-read it. I'm tired and it's late so I apologize for any errors you find. Secondly, Happy belated birthday to the guest reviewer "**Rachel**"! I know I didn't get it up in time for your birthday but it's only a couple of hours late (at least it is here on the West coast lol) So I apologize for being late, but I did honor your request and include a Ethan guilt scene – and can I just say: IT KILLED ME. After what happened on yesterday's (Tuesday Feb. 19th) episode, I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. My poor Themma shipping heart can't take it. But I guess you guys always have this story and any other Themma FF to keep you together. Also, **Icedragonshiki **I'm not ignoring you, I promise. I've already got some of the chapter you requested written! Be patient! Thanks for reading everyone, and as with every story I write, I'd love it if you Enjoyed and Reviewed!_

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"God I'm so glad you're here." Laurel sighed, dropping her arms to her sides in exasperation. "You know Emma better than I do – Well okay, I know her, but she was always Sutton – but sweeter; she was always pretending to be Sutton so –"

"Laurel take a breath." Ethan suggested, pushing his empty hands into his worn denim pockets. He watched as she complied, throwing whatever she had been holding onto the second bed in her room and plopping down onto the mattress. "Good. Now, what do you need?"

"Emma. Which one do you think she'd like?" Laurel asked hesitantly, slowly holding up what Ethan could only assume were sheets for the naked mattress on the canopy bed opposite of Laurels'.

"I don't see a difference." He said, shrugging indifferently.

"Ethan! This is from Charlotte Tomas' 'Bespoke' line! She actually weaves 22 karat gold thread into these sheets! Not to mention they're thousand-count Egyptian cotton!" She huffed, thrusting the sheet in her left hand towards him.

He opened his mouth to respond but she pushed the sheet in her right hand towards him and continued.

"And this, is part of the 'Milos' line from Sferra! It's like laying on a cloud."

"Laurel?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sure she'll love either one – but why are you picking out bed sheets for Emma? And, why is there a second bed in your room?" Ethan asked, gesturing to the simple yet elegant bed.

"Oh, that." Ethan watched silently as Laurel's head dipped and her cheeks flushed with a bright crimson. "I – I just didn't think that Emma would want to go back into Sutton's room, you know since that's where everything happened."

"Wow."

"What? Do you think she'd rather be alone? I just didn't think – you're right. I should have them move the bed to the guest room I –"

"No, Laurel, I meant wow that's amazing; incredibly thoughtful actually." Ethan explained, shifting his weight from one foot to the other sheepishly.

"Thanks Ethan." Laurel beamed at the compliment but then frowned, "Wait, why are **you** here? I heard you were a royal ass at the hospital, what changed?" She asked, letting the sheets slide out of her fingers and setting her folded hands in her lap.

"I was just getting something for Sutton." Ethan answered immediately, winching when Laurel narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Mmmhhmm, yeah and I'm the queen of Kazakhstan. Spill." She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest expectantly.

"Kazakhstan?"

"**So** not the point Ethan. What are you really doing here?"

"I was on my way back to the hospital and I got hungry. Figured I'd stop by and grab a bite to eat."

"Ethan."

"FINE! I feel guilty alright!" Ethan finally yelled, brushing his hair back from his forehead. His eyes were red-rimmed and uncharacteristically wet, his lip twitched and his throat was tight. He worked to keep from choking on the groan that threatened to make itself known.

"Ethan why –"

"It's my fault she was alone when she was attacked. I cheated on her with Sutton in a moment of stupidity and lost her. I lost **all** of her, her love; her compassion; her kindness; her maturity. I lost her heart – I think I **broke** her heart."

"That was almost two months ago, that has nothing to do with what happened to her." Laurel argued, gently settling a comforting hand on Ethan's tense shoulder.

He shook her hand off and started pacing, his mind working through his guilt as well as trying to process what Laurel was saying. "You don't understand. It was my fault. My fault she was alone."

"What do you mean it was your fault?"

"Sutton and I – we – I never meant for her to get hurt. I was just pissed with the whole situation and I needed someone to take it out on, so Sutton and I – we…"

"Spit it out Ethan!" Laurel shouted, more interested in hearing how Ethan caused Emma's attack than sparing his feelings.

"We knew Emma and Thayer were hanging out s-so we called him and told him that Mads was in trouble and needed him. If I couldn't have Emma I didn't want Thayer to either! **That's** why I broke up their date or whatever it was supposed to be." Ethan cried dejectedly, wiping a hand down his face.

"I still don't see how Emma getting attacked is your fault."

"I never said it was my fault she was attacked, I said it was my fault she was **alone** when she got attacked. Maybe if I hadn't been such a jealous dick then Thayer would have been there when that creep broke in and raped Emma. Maybe Thayer would have been able to save her or even just call the police. Maybe –"

"Get out." Laurel growled, her voice so threatening she surprised even herself. When Ethan didn't budge, she repeated herself in the same authoritative snarl. "Get the **HELL** out of this house. And don't you **dare** come back."

She watched in disgust as Ethan skulked out of the house, his head hanging down and feet dragging. _How could he have expected any other outcome? He was selfish, and because of his selfishness Emma's in the hospital. Ethan was right; if Thayer had been there maybe Emma wouldn't have been raped. Maybe she wouldn't have been attacked at all. _

_**Or maybe you're being too hard on the guy. Maybe you're projecting your own guilt and blaming the part you know you played in this whole thing on Ethan. Maybe you're just as guilty as he is. Maybe you all are.**_

Laurel couldn't help the little voice that interrupted her angry line of logic. Her conscience had a mind of its own and seemed to like raining on her parade. She was perfectly fine with blaming this entire thing on Ethan and Sutton, but now? She couldn't.

If they were at fault, so was she. And in all honesty, what would pointing fingers do for Emma?

Laurel picked up Charlotte Thomas bed sheet and started making Emma's bed, silent tears slipping down her cheeks as she continued to wallow in her own guilt.

_Some of this may be my fault, but I'm going to be there for Emma as long as she needs me._

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**Oh, and if any of you love Alec (which I do! He's so Creep-tacular he's adorable. And yes I did say something along those lines on my Tumblr ahaha!) Then you won't be disappointed. He makes an appearance eventually. There will be some twisting of the storyline though, so some things canon and some not. I'll let you know. Review and let me know what you thought, and as always I'd love any ideas you have. At this point, I'm just writing whatever my mood dictates.**


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